May 22, 2020 was World Biodiversity Day. It’s a day to commemorate the extensive and varied species found throughout the world. It’s a day to recognize the importance of nature for our own wellbeing. Nature can bring us a sense of peace, wonderment and delight. It is also a time to reminisce about your own wildlife experiences and to dream.

As an animal lover the highlight of any trip I take is usually encounters with wildlife. Over my years of travel I have been lucky to experience many different species of animals, birds and marine life. I have had the privilege of watching turtles lay their eggs and then releasing the hatchlings. I have slept under a canvas tent and listened to the calls of orangutans and the foreboding howls of hyenas. I have marveled at the beauty of a leopard and a male Resplendent Quetzal. I have swam with sea lions and was awe-struck by acrobatic dolphins. I have marveled at the huge variety of colourful, and sometimes dangerous, insects and butterflies. Yet…my wildlife bucket list just keeps growing.

Our world is filled with the wonders and beauty of nature. Learning and observing wildlife in their natural habitat is an incredible part of travel which makes our travel experience more meaningful. Today as I sit in my backyard,  I think back to the amazing wildlife sightings I have encountered. But until countries open their borders and planes are flying, I have to be content with reviewing my wildlife bucket list and reading about these animals. Here are a few of my wildlife bucket list with suggested books:

Tracking the painted African Wild Dog in South Africa

In Search of the African Wild Dog by Roger and Pat De La Harpe

Howlin’ with Wolves in the Canadian Rocky Mountains

The Pipestone Wolves: The Rise and Fall of a Wolf Family by Günther Bloch and John E. Marriott 

Wolf Mountains: A History of Wolves along the Great Divide by Karen R. Jones

Seeking the feisty Tasmanian Devil in Australia

Tasmanian Devil: A Unique and Threatened Animal by David Owen and David Pemberton 

Trekking Gorillas in Uganda or Rwanda

Gorillas in the Mist by Dian Fossey

The Impenetrable Forest: My Gorilla Years in Uganda by Thor Hanson

YouTube: Touched by a Wild Mountain Gorilla

Spotting Jaguars in Brazil’s Pantanal

Jaguars and the Wildlife of the Pantanal by Joe McDonald 

An Indomitable Beast: The Remarkable Journey of the Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz 

The Jaguar's Shadow: Searching for a Mythic Cat by Richard Mahler 

Watch Leaping Lemurs in Magagascar

For the Love of Lemurs: My Life in the Wilds of Madagascar by Patricia Wright

Chasing Lemurs: My Journey into the Heart of Madagascar by Keriann McGoogan 

Lords and Lemurs: Mad Scientists, Kings With Spears, and the Survival of Diversity in Madagascar by Alison Jolly 

Thank You, Madagascar: The Conservation Diaries of Alison Jolly by Alison Jolly 

2020 is going to be a year of contemplation about our role in the natural world. We are dependent on a healthy ecosystem for not only our water, food, medicine, fuel but health. The 2020 biodiversity slogan, “Our solutions are in nature”, highlights the need to work with nature to create harmony in our world. (Convention on Biological Diversity)

“Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.”

― Chief Seattle